STATE'S DRUG LAW REFORM A WISE MOVE

New York took an important step into the present and toward the future by
reworking portions of the 1970s-era Rockefeller drug laws. Gov. George
Pataki on Tuesday signed legislation scaling back what used to be among the
harshest drug laws in the nation.

Don't mistake this for leniency or coddling of drug sellers. No penalty can
be too strong for pushing poison.

The major changes in the law deal with nonviolent offenders, lowering
maximum sentences so people can learn and move on to productive lives. It
means more people out in the work force instead of wasting away in prison
at the expense of taxpayers.

Most importantly, it means that prison is reserved for those who truly
deserve it: murderers, rapists, child molesters and violent criminals.

Though drug laws inevitably have mutated over the years as different
governors took the helm, the slimmed-down version fits modern
sensibilities, offering reasonable hope of a second chance while still
punishing those who break the law. Interestingly, the revised law, which
goes into effect in January, is retroactive in part. Judges will be allowed
to revisit cases of inmates who are serving life sen tences for drug
offenses. That's only about 400 people across the state, a fraction of
those incarcerated.

Like any law, this is being called too tough by some and too lenient by
others. It doesn't provide funding for drug treatment programs, but neither
does it crack down harder on sellers who use children as drug couriers.

On the simplest level, the revision is an accomplishment because the
Assembly, Senate and Pataki were all in agreement. At its core, it's a
necessary and rational update.

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III sees the revision as
a positive change. Administering the law, choosing a just sentence and
protecting the public is not easy.

"It's a delicate balance, every day," Murphy said. "We re-evaluate our
position constantly to be sure the law is fair."